Ars Technica, August 4, 2011 by Timothy B. Lee
http://bit.ly/nKGB4I
The most important reform, he argued, would be to add an affirmative search requirement to patent applications. “If I think I’ve invented something, the patent office doesn’t require me to look anywhere to see if anyone has done it first,” he said. By requiring applicants to “do a little homework first,” the law could make examiners’ jobs easier and dissuade some applicants from filing for patents at all.